Print Edition of The Observer for Wednesday, March 10, 2021

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Volume 55, Issue 46 | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

Tickets run in College’s student election

BoehningFrick

JACKIE JUNCO | The Observer

BergesDevitt

HansonSalgado

By MAEVE FILBIN

By MIA MARROQUIN

By GENEVIEVE COLEMAN

Assitant Managing Editor

Saint Mary’s News Editor

Associate News Editor

Campus, community, Catholicism and collaboration — these are the four pillars upon which juniors Tatiana Boehning and Sarah Frick have built their platform for the 2021 Saint Mary’s Student Government Association elections. One of three tickets vying for office, both Boehning and Frick have been involved in student government since middle school.

Juniors Emma Berges and Maggie Devitt are committed to enhance, ser ve and unite the Saint Mar y’s communit y.

Berges and Dev itt are one of three duos that students w ill have the option to vote for as Saint Mar y’s student body president and v ice president for the 2021-2022 academic year.

Juniors Eleanor Hanson and Adriana Salgado want Belles to know they will listen to diverse voices on campus if elected student body president and vice president, respectively.

“Leadership is about listening and elevat[ing] all voices so every individual feels heard and respected,” they said in their platform.

see BOEHNING PAGE 5

see BERGES PAGE 4

see HANSON PAGE 5

Alumna accuses classmate of sexual assault

By SERENA ZACHARIAS Notre Dame News Editor

The chair of theolog y at Boston College has been accused of sexua lly assaulting a former classmate in 1987 while the t wo were theolog y doctora l students at Notre Dame.

Boston College is currently investigating a llegations against Richard Gaillardetz ‘91, after theologian Laura Grimes ‘04 a lleged he assaulted her on t wo separate occasions in a series of YouTube v ideos

NEWS PAGE 3

she released Jan. 23 and last week.

Grimes said Gaillardetz assaulted her for the first time on Ha lloween night 1987 in his apartment, and then again in early December in her apartment, in the former O’Hara-Grace residences.

“It was absolutely nonconsensua l because consent was never asked,” Grimes said in an inter v iew w ith The Obser ver.

Gaillardetz has denied the a llegations and voluntarily stepped away from his position, Boston College’s independent student-run paper, The

VIEWPOINT PAGE 7

SCENE PAGE 9

Heights, first reported on March 1.

In an email to The Obser ver, Gaillardetz said Boston College promptly hired an independent law firm to investigate the a llegations after he learned of Grimes’ accusations Jan. 23.

“I am eager to set the record straight w ith respect to Dr. Grimes’ reck less a llegations but I have been adv ised not to respond to the specifics of the a llegations until the investigation is concluded,” he said.

ND M BASKETBALL PAGE 16

see ALUMNA PAGE 4

ND M HOCKEY PAGE 16

2

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The observer | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

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ALLISON THORNTON | The Observer

With COVID-19 restrictions lifted from basketball game attendance, students celebrated Senior Day with posters on Saturday.

Entering the match with a four-game losing streak, the Notre Dame men’s basketball team won 83-73 against Florida State.

The next Five days:

Want your event included here?

Email news@ndsmcobserver.com

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Global Health Colloquium virtual 4 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Learn about scientific efforts to fight cancer.

“Coronavirus and the Constitution” virtual 12:45 p.m. - 2 p.m.

Lecture featuring Jeremy Bailey.

Yoga in Italian virtual 12:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Work out while being immersed in Italian. All skill levels welcomed.

Panel on the COVID vaccine virtual 3 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Presented by the McGrath Institute.

Basilica Mass Basilica of the Sacred Heart 10 a.m. and noon All are welcome to attend.

Inti Raymi Celebration virtual 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Discuss the indigenous Sun’s Fest.

Conversation with activist Ai-jen Poo virtual 7 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Moderated by Provost Marie Lynn Miranda.

“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” DPAC 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are free. but seats are limited.

“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” DPAC 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are free. but seats are limited.

La Misa en Espanol Basilica of the Sacred Heart 4 p.m.

Mass rooted in the Hispanic tradition.

News

ndsmcobserver.com | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021 | The Observer

3

COVID-19 vaccination open to city’s teachers

By TRINITY REILLY News Writer

Teachers around the countr y have been eagerly awaiting COVID-19 vaccinations.

With new age groups a nd worker s becom i ng el ig ible to receive t he v acc i ne, t he t i me ha s f i na l ly come for ma ny i n t he Sout h Bend a rea .

T he st ate of I nd ia na had a l ready opened v acc i nes to teacher s over t he age of 50. Sa r a h Wagoner, t h i rd g r ade teacher at C lay I nter nat iona l Ac ademy, sa id she a nd her col leag ues d i scovered v acc i nes wou ld be av a i lable to teacher s u nder 50 on Tuesday, Ma rch 2.

She i m med iately r u shed to Meijer, w h ich she had hea rd was d i st r ibut i ng v acc i nes.

However, t he store had a l ready r u n out a nd told her to reg i ster onl i ne, w h ich she had t rouble w it h.

“T he websites weren’t updated,” Wagoner sa id.

“You had to u se eit her Meijer’s, K roger’s or Wa l ma r t ’s, a nd Wa l ma r t ’s w a s def i n itely not f u nct ion i ng. K roger’s appea red to f u nc t ion, a nd t hen it wou ld ju st shut dow n, a nd Meijer’s ju st put you on a w a it l i st . So I w a sn’t gett i ng a ny w here.”

Just a few days a f ter t he or ig i na l vaccinat ion a nnou ncement, t houg h, on T hu rsday, Wagoner sa id, Clay Inter nat iona l told its teachers t hat members of t he Meijer vaccinat ion tea m wou ld come to t he school.

Teachers were inv ited to sig n up for a t wo-hou r t ime slot t h roug hout t he day a nd show up a ny t ime du r ing t hat per iod to get t he vacci ne, she sa id.

“It was t he smoot hest event,” Wagoner sa id.

“I don’t t h i n k I wa ited in l i ne more t ha n 10 m inutes.

A nd t hen I sat a nd wa ited

my 15 m inutes to ma ke su re I d id n’t have a ny k ind of react ion, a nd of f we went — it was prett y cool.”

Michel le Conway, second g rade teacher at Ken nedy Academy, was one of t he few teachers to be vaccinated t hat f irst day at Meijer.

The ent ire process was su rpr ising ly easy, she sa id.

“I just went because someone told me on a wh im,” Conway sa id. “So I went on my way home f rom work, a nd it was awesome.”

Bot h Wagoner a nd Conway sa id t hey cu r rent ly have hybr id classrooms.

Wagoner has 23 st udents in person a nd eig ht on line, she sa id. Conway sa id she on ly has fou r in person a nd a not her 24 on line, but nex t week her in-person st udents w ill increase to 11, w it h 19 st i l l attend ing on line.

Pa rents decide whet her t heir st udents attend on line or in-person, Conway sa id.

Bot h teachers sa id

jugg li ng st udents on l i ne a nd in-person is of ten d if f icu lt.

“It’s k ind of li ke being st retched because it’s one t h ing to teach k ids at school, a nd a not her one to teach t hem on line,” Conway sa id. “But you have to do bot h. It’s k ind of l i ke a jugg l ing act to t r y to get ever ybody what t hey need at t he sa me t ime.”

W h i le Wagoner a nd Conway bot h sa id hav ing t he vaccine ma kes t hem feel sa fer, t hey sa id t hey do not u lt imately believe teacher vaccinat ions w i l l have a ny sig n if ica nt ef fect on COVID classroom protocols.

K ids of ten let t heir mask s slip — not even to pu r posely be m isch ievous, but just because t hey forget, Wagoner sa id.

Conway sa id t he vaccine adds a sense of protect ion despite t he sa fet y protocols in schools.

“I t h in k it g ives you a l itt le more level of com for t, just k now ing t hat you’ve been vaccinated, a nd so if a nybody were to br ing somet h ing in f rom t he outside, you wou ld be more protected,” Conway said.

Wagoner said she was hopeful for changes in her ow n daughter, who attends high school.

Many of her teachers lead class from online, which would ideally change if they feel more comfortable teaching in-person after being vaccinated, she said.

Vaccinations may not mean an immediate return to normal for South Bend teachers, but it at least suggests hope for the future, Wagoner said.

“From here, we just tr y to go on as normal,” she said.

Contact Trinity Reilly at treilly5@nd.edu

Driver charged with misdemeanor after crash Observer Staff Report The driver of t he vehicle who hit t hree Not re Da me students in October, resu lting in t wo deat hs a nd a serious injur y, has received misdemea nor cha rges, t he Sout h Bend Tribune repor ted Thursday.

Ju st i n Cav a l lo, 25, of Sout h Bend, w a s cha r ge d i n Ja nua r y for t wo m i sdemea nor s : oper at i ng a veh icle w it h a n a lc ohol c onc ent r at ion above 0.0 8 a nd oper at i ng a veh icle w h i le i ntox ic ate d.

Cava l lo st r uck Va ler ia Espinel, 19, Oliv ia Laura

Rojas, 19, a nd sophomore Edua rdo Jose Elias Ca lderon, 19, on Oct. 24. Espinel a nd Rojas died at t he scene, a nd Ca lderon was ser iously injured in t he crash.

Cava l lo was dr iv ing on I ronwood Road a rou nd 4 a .m. w hen he h it t he st udent s, a nd t hen made a sha r p lef t a nd c r a she d i nto a hou se, ac c ord i ng to St .

Joseph Cou nt y Fat a l C r a sh Tea m ( FAC T ) repor t s.

According to t he repor t, Cava l lo was dr iv ing in t he outside la ne nex t to t he media n st r ip on t he 54000 block of Ironwood when he col lided

w it h t he students who were on t he road. There a re no sidewa l ks in t he a rea.

Cava l lo susta ined minor injur ies in t he crash, a nd he rema ined on t he scene a nd cooperated w it h t he police.

Fol low ing t he init ia l crash, a Chev rolet Impa la dr iven by Da rlene Holden, 54, of Sout h Bend, st r uck Espinel ly ing in t he st reet. Holden has not been cha rged.

The pr ima r y cause of t he col lision was cited as “pedest r ia n’s act ion” in t he FACT repor t. “A lcoholic beverages” was a lso cited as a factor in t he crash.

Cava l lo’s blood a lcohol content wa s 0.13 t he day of t he cra sh, t he Sout h Bend Tr ibu ne repor ted. He sa id he d id not see t he st udent s on t he road u nt i l t he coll ision. Ra f i k Ta n n i r, 24, of Sout h Bend, wa s a pa ssenger i n Cava l lo’s ca r at t he t i me of t he cra sh. He sa id he d id not see t he cra sh occu r a nd wa s look i ng at h is phone at t he t i me.

At t he t ime of t he incident, Cava l lo was not a rrested because police were st i l l work ing to deter mine t he cause. Because of double jeopa rdy, cha rges related to

t he incident cou ld not have been f i led at a later point had Cava l lo been immediately cha rged w it h dr un k dr iv ing a nd pled g ui lt y, St. Joseph Count y Prosecutor Ken Cotter told t he Tr ibune.

“We need to prove t hat t he dr iver actua l ly caused t he crash,” Tim Spencer, comma nder of t he St. Joseph Count y Fata l Crash Tea m (FACT), sa id in t he repor t.

“Ult imately t hose cha rges were not f i led. [Cava l lo] was just cha rged w it h simply operat ing whi le intox icated, not hing per ta ining to t he crash itself.”

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NEWS

The observer | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

Alumna Continued from page 1

At t he t ime of t he a lleged assau lts, Grimes sa id, Ga i l la rdet z was in a longdista nce relat ionship w it h his current w ife, a nd Gr imes considered Ga i l la rdet z not hing more t ha n a f riend.

The t wo had become f r iend s i n it ia l ly t h roug h t hei r sha red i nterest i n t heolog y a nd spi r it ua l it y, but Gr i mes sa id she c ut of f t hei r f r iend sh ip a f ter t he second a l leged a ssau lt.

“He had broken t he covena nt; t he covena nt w a s t hat we were absolutely f r iend s,” Gr i mes told T he Obser ver.

On t he n ig ht of t he f i rst i ncident, Gr i mes sa id she w a s pla n n i ng on goi ng to a Ha l loween da nce w it h her f r iend s, but Ga i l la rdet z i nv ited her over to h i s apa r tment for a d i n ner w it h a few col leag ues before t he da nce.

A f ter t he ot her d i n ner attendees lef t, t he nex t t h i ng Gr i mes remember s i s bei ng i n Ga i l la rdet z’s bed room.

She a l leged he per for med ora l sex on her t hen w it hout her con sent.

Berges Continued from page 1

Berges is a communications studies major w ith minors in PR and advertising who hails from Fairfield, Connecticut. On ca mpus she cu r rent ly ser ves a s t he co-cha i r of t he St udent Gover n ment A ssociat ion’s (SG A) ma rket i ng a nd socia l med ia com m it tee.

Dev it t is a speech la ng uage pat holog y major w it h a gerontolog y m i nor f rom L aGra nge, I l l i nois. She cu rrent ly ser ves a s SG A’s socia l l i fe co-cha i r.

Bot h women a lso have t r i-ca mpus col laborat ion ex per ience t h roug h ser v i ng on Da nce Ma rat hon.

If elected, t he pa i r w i l l work to i mprove t ra nspa renc y a nd com mu n icat ion bet ween st udent s a nd adm i n ist rat ion, Berges sa id.

“I t h i n k it’s been goi ng ver y wel l si nce [Col lege President] Kat ie Conboy got here,” she sa id. “We t h i n k a lot of st udents rea l ly l i ke t he i mprovements t hey ’re seei ng, but we u ndersta nd t hat t here’s a lways room for i mprovement a nd we just wa nt to keep t hat conversat ion goi ng.”

Berges a nd Dev it t empha si zed t hei r i ntent to not on ly be t he voice of t he st udent body but a lso to be act ive l isteners. “[T h roug h] not wa it i ng for g i rls to come to us, but us goi ng to t hem,” Dev it t sa id. “I t h i n k t hat’s ou r f i rst [act ion item] a nd t hat w i l l be t he ea siest but t he best.”

A f ter t he f i r st a l leged a ssau lt, Gr i mes sa id she felt so much sha me she decided to go to con fession.

For her pena nce, t he pr iest adv i sed her to a sk Ga i l la rdet z for forg iveness.

“I t h i n k we were sit t i ng i n t he Hudd le or somet h i ng t a l k i ng over lu nch, a nd I w a s gag ged out apolog i z i ng to h i m, a nd now I t h i n k, I apolog i z ed to my rapi st,” Gr i mes sa id. “A nd he looked at me l i ke I w a s cra z y bec au se clea rly he w a sn’t sor r y. He d id n’t go to con fession.”

A f ter t he f i r st i ncident, Gr i mes sa id she empha si z ed to Ga i l la rdet z she d id not wa nt repeated sex ua l contact. Yet one nig ht in ea rly December, Grimes a l leged Ga i l la rdet z bu l lied her into going upsta irs to her bedroom, despite repeated ref usa ls. Once t hey were upsta irs, Ga i l la rdet z per for med ora l sex on her aga in a nd dema nded t hat she per for m ora l sex on him too.

“It made me gag, but I went a long w it h it,” Gr imes sa id.

Vice president for public a f fa irs a nd communicat ions Pau l Brow ne sa id t he Universit y administ rat ion

w i l l ask Boston Col lege to sha re t he f indings of t he independent invest igat ion into Gr imes’ a l legat ions t hat may relate to Not re Da me.

A f ter spending yea rs ref lect ing on t he a l leged assau lts, Gr imes sa id, she decided to come for wa rd w it h a l legat ions a f ter she hea rd Ga i l la rdet z had been spea king about t he cler ica l sex ua l abuse cr isis as a t heolog ia n.

“He is pretending to be pa r t of t he solut ion when he’s pa r t of t he problem,” Gr imes sa id.

In her v ideos, Gr imes accused Ga i l la rdet z of enabling a nd per pet rat ing ecclesia l rape cu lture, which she sa id is a ra mpa nt problem w it hin t he Cat holic Church. She sa id t he power imba la nces embedded in Cat holic sett ings g ives r ise to abuse.

“A Cat holic hig her educat ion li ke Not re Da me combines t he rape cu lture of a l l hig her educat ion schools w it h t he rape cu lture of t he Cat holic Church,” Gr imes sa id.

W hen she was a doctora l student at Not re Da me, Gr imes believed t he t heolog y depa r t ment to be “ver y ma ledominated,” a nd she sa id t his

cont r ibuted to a da ngerous cu lture.

Brow ne sa id in a n ema i l t he Universit y rejects Gr imes’ cha racter i zat ion of t he Not re Da me t heolog y depa r t ment in 1987 a nd t he asser t ion t hat Cat holic col leges a nd universit ies a re havens for sex ua l abuse.

“Not re Da me va lues each indiv idua l, a nd has no tolera nce for sex ua l ha rassment or assault,” Browne wrote.

In 1991, while Grimes was a student at Notre Dame, Fr. James Burtchaell, a professor of theology and provost, resigned from the faculty amid charges of sexual misconduct with male undergraduates.

Mennonite theologian John Howard Yoder was a full-time theology faculty member at Notre Dame from 1984 until his death in 1997. In 1992, eight victims came forward with a statement detailing Yoder’s history with sexual misconduct. However, allegations against Yoder had been circulating for years prior to the public complaints, the first of which surfaced in the 1970s.

In the second video of the series, Grimes also alleged Gaillardetz had later admitted

to her in an email in 1998 that he had sexually abused a student during his first teaching position in Texas.

“In this case, it’s both sexual abuse and spiritual abuse because you are a religious leader,” Grimes said in the video, addressing Gaillardetz directly.

Grimes hopes Gaillardetz recognizes the hurt he has caused her.

“The only chance he might repent is if he’s brought to public justice,” Grimes said.

“But even if he won’t, we really need to educate the society, the Church in particular about what this is and get justice and safety, first for his present students, and get justice if there have been any [other victims] in the past.”

Although Grimes strongly believes the culture of the Church should be reformed, she said she still leans on her faith to work through her trauma. She even filmed her allegation v ideos in her ow n home chapel.

“My fa it h is ever y t hing,” Gr imes sa id.

By ut i l i zi ng open commu n icat ion a nd act ive l isten i ng bet ween st udents a nd ad m i n ist rators, Berges a nd Dev it t hope to enact some of t hei r key plat for m poi nts, wh ich i nclude t he i mprovement of menta l hea lt h resou rces by enha nci ng SMC Ca re — a 24hou r telehea lt h ser v ice lau nched ea rl ier t h is yea r — establ ish i ng more g r ief a nd a n x iet y g roups a nd i nf usi ng socia l a nd emot iona l con nect iv it y.

A not her key element of t hei r plat for m is t he ex pa nsion of women’s hea lt h advocac y at t he

Col lege.

“I mea n we go to a n a l l women’s col lege, a nd I feel women’s hea lt h is not ta l ked about enoug h,” Berges sa id.

T hey hope to ex pa nd on brea st sel f-ex a m i nat ion i nfor mat ion sheet s i n dor m showers, k nowledge of t he on-ca mpus g y necolog ist, host g uest spea kers a nd establ ish suppor t g roups to open t he conversat ion more, Berges sa id.

Berges a nd Dev it t emphasi zed t hei r desi re for Sa i nt Ma r y ’s st udent s to f i nd t hei r place i n t he g reater t r i-ca mpus com mu n it y.

“We recog n i ze t hat t here is a t r i-ca mpus a nd a lot of good t h i ngs come f rom it, l i ke doi ng combi ned clubs a nd act iv it ies, but we a lso just wa nt to ma ke su re t he ident it y of Sa i nt Ma r y ’s stays posit ive,” Berges sa id.

Dev it t loves bei ng pa r t of t he t r i-ca mpus com mu n it y, she sa id.

“Somet i mes I t h i n k t he t r i-ca mpus com mu n it y overshadows t he one Un iversit y, a nd somet i mes ou r big one Col lege overshadows bei ng pa r t of t he t r i-ca mpus commu n it y,” Dev it t sa id. “A nd I

t h i n k somet i mes we don’t f u l ly use t hose oppor t u n it ies g iven to us.

So I t h i n k we cou ld rea l ly empha si ze bot h.”

If elected, Berges a nd Dev it t pla n to use t hei r pa ssion for t he Col lege a nd SG A to a mpl i f y a l l st udent voices.

“Ever si nce ou r f i rst yea rs, we have looked up to SG A a nd event ua l ly joi ned to be t hose people for ot hers a nd to i nclude ot hers in t he ca mpus d ia log ue,” Berges said.

Contact Serena Zacharias at szachari@nd.edu

Contact Mia Marroquin at mmarroquin@saintmarys.edu

News

Hanson Continued from page 1

Hanson, a communications studies major with minors in political science and PR and advertising, is from Atlanta, Georgia.

On campus, she is a student ambassador and co-chair of SGA’s social concerns committee.

Salgado is also a communications studies major with a minor in PR and advertising.

Originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, she currently serves as co-chair of SGA’s campus inclusivity committee.

Hanson noted that having trouble meeting new people during her first year motivated her to connect with students struggling to find their place on campus.

“I think this experience has led me to want to make a difference in incoming freshmen’s lives and the current students at Saint Mary’s,” she said.

“Especially this past year has been so trying, on everybody, I felt like it was time I took a step in my leadership and spoke out for myself and a lot of the girls at

Boehning Continued from page 1

Boehning, running for SGA president alongside Frick as vice president, said she hopes to hear student voices and address their needs.

“Being president of Saint Mar y’s student government would be a way for us to be representatives for students and take their concerns, thoughts and any thing that they might need from us, and then implement that in the best way we can,” she said. “And prov ide for students the kind of home that they love as much as I do.”

Both members of this ticket have worked on various committees w ithin SGA. Boehning began participating in student government as a sophomore, and has since ser ved as a co-chair of the mission committee, as well as the secretar y for internal affairs.

Having joined SGA as a first-year — a rare occurrence, as the governing body mostly consists of upperclassmen — Frick brings a unique amount of experience to the ticket. On the Sophia oversight committee, Frick served as a student liaison to those who determine which

ndsmcobserver.com | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021 | The Observer

5

Saint Mary’s.”

Salgado also wants to reach out to students so the College feels more inclusive.

“I’ve heard a lot of stories from a lot of students and if I can do anything do as vice president to make their time at Saint Mary’s easier and make Saint Mary’s feel more like home,” Salgado said. “... I think Elly and I can make a really really big difference in improving some students’ experiences at Saint Mary’s and just making them feel more comfortable and more listened to and respected.“ If elected, Hanson and Salgado would make it a priority to find out what students would like to see done during their term.

“Our primary mission is getting to understand what everyone at Saint Mary’s wants,“ Hanson said. “We decided we were going to come from an approach where we wanted all voices integrated, so we do have an idea of what to do at Saint Mary’s, but we do want to get a feel for the women at Saint Mary’s want to see on campus.“

To gauge student interests, Hanson and Salgado emphasized that they would email class surveys to Belles.

Hanson and Salgado also want to create more mentorship opportunities for students of diverse backgrounds.

“We pushing for mentorship programs for first generations students, students with disabilities and really any student that [is] seeking out someone to guide them through college,“ Salgado said. “That’s one of the most realistic things we can do, if not the thing we’ll get started as soon as possible.“ Wanting to advocate for all student populations, Salgado spoke about the need to reach out to students learning remotely during the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, she discussed providing more services for students with disabilities on campus.

“We’re really pushing for more sensory rooms for students on the spectrum and for mentorship programs for them, so that way they feel more comfortable in the learning environment and they have someone to seek

out when they’re feeling a little overwhelmed,“ she said.

Hanson noted that the pair are willing to have difficult conversations with the administration if it means getting things done.

“Because we are demanding to see more change at Saint Mary’s with our students, we have to have a very close relationship with the administration and that would involve them including us in all the conversations and having the uncomfortable conversations that might not always align with the Saint Mary’s mission,“ Hanson said.

Salgado also mentioned using Dr. Redgina Hill, executive director of inclusion and equity, as a resource during their term.

Another important aspect of Hanson and Salgado’s campaign is sustainability. They propose new recycling bins on every floor of each residence hall and the proper disposal of hard-to-recycle single-use items to promote a more sustainable campus.

“Having bins for people to put

in their shampoo bottles that they are done using instead of just throwing them away — having them in a recycling bin,“ Salgado said. “Again, have someone clean it out to make sure there isn’t any debris left or any product still in there and just kind of being more mindful that there are little things we can do like that to create a more sustainable campus.“ Hanson and Salgado hope that conversations they will host about female empowerment help students feel like they can be themselves in college.

“I think being in college is really scary for a lot of people, and a lot of people don’t know if they can be themselves,“ Salgado said. “I think one of the things we’re kind of pushing for is just be yourself to the fullest extent.“ The pair is one of three tickets running for Student Government Association (SGA) president and vice president in the 2021 election cycle.

courses will count for credit within the Sophia Program for Liberal Learning.

The ticket’s four-part, twopage platform addresses several aspects of student life at Saint Mary’s, including oncampus and off-campus engagement, dining services, dorm living, alumnae relations, tri-campus collaboration and the implementation of Saint Mary’s mission statement. Many of these line items feature collaborations with existing offices, such as Campus and Community Events and the Residence Hall Association.

Boehning and Frick told The Observer they hope to work closely with the College administration as representatives for the student body and they believe their deep connections with SGA will assist them in maintaining existing relationships within Saint Mary’s leadership.

When asked if they would ever deem it necessary to object to a decision made by the administration, Boehning explained her position in short terms.

“If it’s not something we think is best for the students, then it’s something that we would object to,” Boehning said.

In these cases, Frick added,

the pair would bring their concerns to the administration and hope to negotiate a mutual agreement.

“We’re both very comfortable going to the president and saying, ‘There’s a better way to make this work — it’s going to be more beneficial in the long run and the students are going to like it better,’” Frick said.

One of the ticket’s foremost proposals is the creation of a “virtual suggestion box,” which will take the form of an email chain or Zoom office hours, and will serve to advance transparency and offer a space for students to directly contact members of SGA. “Whatever ideas, concerns, issues you have, we’re going to write them down, we’re going to talk to [the administration] … and try to get that idea implemented,” Frick said. “It’s a virtual supportive system that we want to create.”

Addressing college life in the midst of the pandemic, Boehning and Frick plan to provide students with athome kits for students to use in their dorms while participating in a campus-wide Zoom event. Students learning remotely would also have the opportunity to participate in this type of activities.

Other in-person or virtual events will be made available to Notre Dame and Holy Cross students, the ticket said, to hopefully bridge relationships within the tri-campus and “reducing the stereotypes between campuses.”

Under the community pillar, Boehning and Frick hope to collaborate with small businesses in South Bend to create a “mini mall,” a select group of vendors who will come to campus. The ticket recognizes this proposal as the least feasible idea included in their platform, as they have yet to reach out to local businesses, and are unsure of how to best maneuver the financial and public health safety aspects of bringing these vendors to campus.

Additionally, the ticket expressed hopes to use larger spaces on campus for students to eat and socialize in a COVID-safe manner, removing the need for the dividers currently in use at the dining hall. The platform also promises extended hours in the dining tent outside of the student center, as well as the re-opening of Murphy’s Café and Spes Unica Café. Similar to a system previously implemented by Notre Dame Campus Dining, Boehning and Frick also proposed the

opportunity for students to donate their extra meal swipes to a food pantry or a homeless shelter.

Boehning and Frick said this proposal is one of their most realistic items and will “give the students of Saint Mary’s a sense of almsgiving.”

The ticket’s Catholicism pillar details the pair’s plans to further implement the College’s mission statement. This portion of the platform includes daily Mass for students and the creation of an “information board or pamphlet” for those who aren’t Catholic but are interested in attending Mass.

“One of the things we wanted to do was reach out to nonCatholics and make them feel like this is a place where they can be, just as Catholics can be here,” Boehning said. “And then for people who are of different religious backgrounds, maybe doing a student panel that gives [them] an opportunity to share their faith and what it means to them.”

By connecting with various faith groups, the ticket said, they hope to cultivate a more diverse campus.

Contact Genevieve Coleman at gcoleman01@saintmarys.edu

Contact Maeve Filbin at mfilbin01@saintmarys.edu

College to host in-person ceremony Observer Staff Report Saint Mar y’s w ill hold an inperson commencement ceremony for the class of 2021 May 22, College President Katie Conboy announced in an email Wednesday afternoon.

Graduates can inv ite three guests to attend the event.

The ceremony w ill a lso be live-streamed.

A ll attendees w ill be required to follow COV ID-19 hea lth and safet y protocols, including wearing face masks

and physica l distancing.

The College w ill follow a ll adv ice from loca l and state hea lth departments when planning the event.

“We w ill continue to monitor our state and count y public hea lth officia ls; their

guidance w ill inform our decisions as Commencement day draws closer,” the email said.

The College’s Commencement website will be updated with new information as it becomes available.

Please recycle The Observer.

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The observer | wednesday, march 10, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

Inside Column

Why I dye my hair and why you should too Evan McKenna Incoming Managing Editor

During season one of quarantine — also known as March and April 2020 — boys in my hometown started shaving their heads. It was an outbreak of its own, honestly. The process was gradual, but the effect was frightening — like children slowly and mysteriously disappearing from the cozy Maine town in a Stephen King novel.

Luckily, I didn’t succumb to the persuasion of the bald-headed cult (wake up, sheeple!), but truthfully, I didn’t exactly come out of April entirely unscathed: In a mid-month moment of unhinged, isolation-induced spontaneity, I drove to my local Walmart, bought a box of cheap red hair dye and with the help of my sisters — and to the disappointment of my mother — I joined the world’s small but powerful legion of gingers. They’ve been very accepting thus far.

So, to be honest, I don’t really blame the bald boys of my hometown. I basically did the same thing — same coping mechanism, different fonts! The idea that the hair dye comes out as a sort of “trauma response” is a popular one, especially in the age of quarantine. To quote my research adviser after she saw my new hair over Zoom, “A lot of kids have been doing, um, traumatic things to their hair during these times.”

I mean, I wouldn’t call it “traumatic” myself, but yeah — something’s happening here. At-home hair dye was — and is — flying off the shelves. Teens and adults alike — whether out of necessity or in response to TikTok trends — are turning en masse to colored hair.

So, what’s happening here?

The average hair dye aficionado — and the rare psychologist — will theorize such appearance-altering impulses come from a desperate desire for control. That’s understandable, especially today — in the midst of a whirlwind of guidelines, a suffocating semester and a labyrinth of uncertain outcomes, one’s physical appearance might be their most reliable medium of control.

And as I’m coming up on the one-year anniversary of joining the ginger community, the periodic ritual of dyeing my hair wild, variant colors has paradoxically become a sort of constant. Since my initial foray into the ginger community, I’ve dyed my hair six times.

I haven’t seen my natural brown hair for almost a year. So while the color of the dye changes often (maybe too often, honestly), the state of dyedness is a constant — a steady sameness within a world of harsh change.

Different dye, same state of dyedness. Different, but the same.

Not to be an archetypal English major — always turning seemingly inconsequential anecdotes into metaphors — but I think this concept of simultaneous sameness and difference might resonate with a lot of people in the tri-campus community right now. Same dorms, different living environment. Same classes, different format. dcSame campus, different campus life.

The idea definitely resonates with me, that’s for sure — this semester, like the one before, has been an uncanny amalgamation of sameness and difference. I still have the same set of fantastic friends, but our relationships operate in wildly different ways under current restrictions. I am still studying the same subjects, but now I’m beginning to think about my future in more concrete terms.

I’m still working for the same wonderful publication that is The Observer, but this semester, I’m honored (and slightly afraid) to be serving the paper in a higher capacity.

Change in any capacity is terrifying — I think we’ve all come to recognize that over the past few years. Politics and pandemics aside, our lives have (and will continue to) change drastically. But I hope you and I both can continue to make it through — by learning to cherish what hasn’t changed, and what hopefully never will. In an eccentric, unstable world, recognize what’s steady. Not exactly a silver lining — just a small sliver of sameness to clutch on to.

So, as long as planet Earth continues to be the way it is, I will continue to dye my hair with a variety of obscene colors — and somewhere within that variation, I will feel a calming sense of sameness.

Sorry, Mom. Sorry, hair. Old habits dye hard, I guess.

You can contact Evan at emckenn2@nd.edu The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

A true Catholic education Ellie Konfrst Butterfly Effects

Growing up, I spent most of my time learning about the world in two rooms: my church sanctuary, and my living room, with the TV tuned to MSNBC. Religion and politics have always been a part of my life, but they were always completely unrelated. I’d hear my minister mention something about racial justice, or a political candidate say “God bless America,” but they only existed in distinct spheres in my mind. It wasn’t until I came to Notre Dame that I found religion and politics intertwined, thanks to an x-factor I never expected: Catholicism.

I’m not Catholic, so to an extent I chose Notre Dame in spite of, not because of, its status as a Catholic school. I grew up attending Sunday school, going through confirmation, and singing in the choir at the same Protestant church where my parents were married in the 90s. My hometown congregation belongs to the United Church of Christ, a theologically and politically progressive denomination.

There was a Catholic church next door, but my understanding of the religion was quite minimal. I understood Catholicism to be politically conservative, as well as much stricter than my idea of Christianity. I had some Catholic friends, but believe it or not, 7-yearolds don’t spend a ton of time talking theology.

With two registered Democrats for parents and a spot reserved in the pews for the 9 a.m. service at my Protestant church, I simply felt that Catholicism would never be a part of my life.

I planned on going through my time at Notre Dame respecting Catholicism, but keeping it at arm’s length. Throughout my first year, I was largely successful at that.

At the same time, I was becoming politically involved on campus and taking classes toward my degree in political science. Throughout my freshman year, I felt that my politics were changing. I’ve always been broadly on the left, but I felt a deeper commitment to social and economic justice than I had before. I attributed most of it to the famed radicalization powers of college, where the supposed “liberal bubble” of academia pushes college students further left.

It took until my first theology class to realize that wasn’t exactly what was happening.

Admittedly, I never paid much attention to biblical studies during Sunday school, so that class was my first real exposure to the study of theology. Further, religion was placed, for the first time, in a historical context. The United Church of Christ was founded in 1957, so I didn’t exactly have a long line of historical traditions to look to. I love my hometown church, and I learned a lot there, but my first theology class required me to think about God in a different, more academic way.

As I began to develop a deeper understanding of Catholicism and what it means to believe in God, I often found myself relating my theological studies to my political science classes.

For example, (at risk of turning this into a theology paper that no one wants to read) we studied, in-depth, the philosophical idea that belief in God is really a commitment to feel for someone else. Every text we studied detailed

the importance of community in Christianity, a principle I had experienced firsthand in my hometown congregation, but had never considered intellectually.

This resonated deeply with me, as I’ve always found empathy to be a driving force behind many of my my political beliefs. Seeing empathy portrayed as such a spiritual thing, and a core aspect of Christianity, really began to open my eyes. It turned out that my politics were not changing despite my presence at a Catholic school; to a large extent, they were changing because of my interactions with Catholicism.

I’d always heard people talk about the importance of social justice to Catholicism, so it made sense to me that my politics had grown in that way. However, my politics have also become much more material — since starting college, I’ve developed a much deeper understanding of the way economic systems create and encourage social inequality, and the importance of community and solidarity in overcoming those systemic problems. As a result of my exposure to and study of Catholicism, my political views were less abstract, and began to feel much more nuanced and concrete.

Specifically, since being at Notre Dame I’ve seen the concept of justice discussed in ways I never had before. In all of my previous experience in politics, justice was simply a buzzword — a phrase that made people feel good, but didn’t mean anything. At Notre Dame, the concept of justice is deeply woven in every aspect of life, even outside of theology classes, thanks in large part to the extensive Catholic commitment to justice. Catholicism has made my politics deeper, more nuanced, and more justice-oriented.

More than anything, my experience at Notre Dame has taught me something important: the study of Catholicism, and theology in general, has immense value for all fields, but especially the study of politics. My understanding of political science is better and more complex thanks to my exposure to Catholicism, even though I’m not Catholic myself.

None of this is to say that I am converting to Catholicism (don’t worry, mom and dad) or that I don’t understand the ways the Catholic Church often disregards its commitment to justice. I’m not a part of the Church, and as an institution, it has nothing to do with my politics. Ultimately, exposure to the historical context and rich theology of Catholicism has deepened my understanding of my own spirituality, and in turn has had a massive influence on my political beliefs. I hope that, even after I leave Notre Dame, I take the lessons of this Catholic education with me, both to my own congregation and to the ballot box.

Ellie Konfrst is a junior majoring in political science, with minors in the Hesburgh Program for Public Service and civil & human rights.

Originally from Des Moines, Iowa, she’s excited that people will finally be forced to listen to all of her extremely good takes. She can be reached at egloverk@nd.edu or @elliekonfrst13 on Twitter.

The views expressed in this column are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Submit a Letter to the Editor: viewpoint@ndsmcobserver.com

The observer | wednesday, march 10, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

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What CPAC means for the future of the Republican Party Blake Ziegler News with Zig

“And all the people took off the gold rings that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. This he took from them and cast in a mold, and made it into a golden calf.

And they exclaimed, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!’” (Exodus 32:3-4).

The scene of the golden calf in the Book of Exodus echoed in my mind as I watched a golden statue of former President Donald Trump be unveiled at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) two weeks ago. Now, idolizing politicians is nothing new.

The creation of a heroic narrative is commonly used

by American politicians to energize their base, and that’s exactly what we saw at CPAC. Endless booths of Trump merchandise, thousands donning Make America Great Again hats and speakers praising the former president all point to the larger-than-life personality Trump has built since his 2015 campaign.

What’s interesting, though, is that despite its proTrump atmosphere, CPAC revealed how the Trump mythos can be dismantled, much like the fate of the golden calf.

The looming question since Trump left office has been whether he will run in 2024. Looking at polls, 79% of Republicans approved of Trump at the end of his presidential term, and 46% of Republicans said they would leave the GOP if Trump formed a new party. This would suggest Trump still holds a firm grip on the Republican Party, but CPAC tells a different story. According to the conference’s straw poll, only 55% of attendees said they would vote for Trump in 2024. At an event with the most loyal and active members of the Republican Party, you’d expect much more support for the former president. Beyond that, 95% of attendees want the GOP to support Trump’s agenda instead of seeing him run in 2024. The emerging narrative out of CPAC is that while Trump still has considerable control over the GOP, its members want a

new face to champion Trumpism. One question, then, is what is Trumpism?

CPAC confirms Trump’s reshaping of the Republican Party. Just a few years ago, the GOP defined itself as the champion of small government and the free market. Yet, CPAC featured a new conservatism in complete opposition to the traditional Republican mold. Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida proclaimed that the GOP will not “go back to the days of the failed Republican establishment of yesteryear.” Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) called for breaking up technology companies and tightening borders.

But this change in policy platform does not define Trump’s conservatism. In fact, there are steep policy divisions among Trump supporters. At CPAC, policy discussion was rare. Even support for Trump himself isn’t dependent on his platform. Despite breaking over half of his campaign promises, Trump garnered 73 million votes in the general election. While young Republicans differ with Trump on foreign policy, 31% of voters ages 18 to 24 voted for him. For the 2020 Republican National Convention, the official party platform was simply to support Trump. The common theme is that policy does not matter. Trumpian conservatism is defined by Trump, and since his supporters want someone to take Trump’s place, that new standard-bearer must embrace the Trump personality.

Trump’s personality is the reason behind his support. American politics has misdiagnosed why Trump supporters continue to follow him. We know it’s not because of policy. The left might suggest it’s because the average Trump supporter is a white supremacist (they’re not), but that’s not it either. Rather, Trump appealed to a politics of grievance and anger that Democrats and Republicans had a hand in creating.

Let’s consider the Democrats. Liberalism’s endorsement of globalization to create a “level playing field” by which all could prosper ignored the inequalities their economic policies created. Globalization has led to deeper wealth gaps, as the rich become richer and the working class sees little to no gains. When bluecollar workers were told they would be rewarded for

hard work and received nothing, the result is antagonism towards the system and individuals that failed them. This anger and feeling of being left behind is what Trump tapped into.

Republicans had a hand in this too, and their complicity shows the fault on both parties. Also, Trump is the latest iteration in the battle between the establishment and anti-establishment wings of the GOP. Over the past four years, we’ve witnessed Trump reshape the party according to his liking. Republican officeholders supporting his agenda through every controversy only reinforced his influence among the base. This alienated moderate Republicans, whose departure only reflects the consensus that the GOP is Trump’s party, not the Republican Party. Moreover, the demonizing and division between both sides only aided Trump, as his supporters saw further aggression towards them, fueling their support. The GOP’s mishandling of Trump resulted in our current problem.

Now, there’s potential for the GOP (and America) to move past Trump. He was a manifestation of people’s grievances that only exacerbated our problems. While Trump may depart, th;58e problem remains. Any attempt to counteract Trumpism must understand its supporters’ grievances and address them, rather than downplay their concerns or vilify them. That only worsens our situation.

Since 2016, we’ve seen a conservatism made in Trump’s image. A GOP that seeks to reject this divisive, anti-democratic ideology must embrace a new conservatism, different from the pre-Trump Republican Party, that embraces the principles of liberalism in the modern world.

Blake Ziegler is a sophomore at Notre Dame from New Orleans, Louisiana, with double majors in political science and philosophy. He loves anything politics, especially things he doesn’t agree with. For inquiries, he can be reached at bziegler@nd.edu or @NewsWithZig on Twitter if you want to see more of his opinions.

The views expressed in this column are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.

The Observer endorses Berges-Devitt Midterms, 60-degree weather and student body elections: the three telltale signs of spring on campus. This year, three tickets will compete for Saint Mary’s student body president and vice president.

Belles will be given the choice between six juniors: Tatiana Boehning and Sarah Frick, Eleanor Hanson and Adriana Salgado, and Emma Berges and Maggie Devitt.

Early this week, The Observer Editorial Board sat down and interviewed the tickets. After taking into consideration the strengths and weaknesses of each, the Board unanimously endorses Berges-Devitt.

Berges currently serves as co-chair of the marketing and social media committee of the Student Government Association (SGA). She is a communication studies major with minors in Public Relations and Advertising from Fairfield, Connecticut. Devitt, a speech language pathology major and gerontology minor, hails from LaGrange, Illinois, and currently serves as co-chair of SGA’s social life committee.

Their platform presents feasible ideas rooted in the needs of Saint Mary’s students. In addition, their passion for the College and experience in SGA

— including collaboration with the current president and vice president — makes them stand out from the other tickets.

The Berges-Devitt ticket is defined by its desire to improve mental health resources, to empower diverse student voices and to emphasize social and emotional connectivity.

The pair was also the only ticket to feature women’s health and wellbeing on their platform — an essential issue at a women’s college. Increased awareness of the services provided at the Health and Counseling Center is crucial, and Berges-Devitt plans to make these resources more accessible and widely known.

Boehning and Frick emphasized the need for increased communication between students, SGA and the administration. Yet their plans for improved sustainability and composting on campus need more definition and specificity. In addition, we were deeply troubled by their thoughts on diversity, especially in regards to international and non-Catholic students. The two did not adequately address how they planned to support historically underrepresented groups on campus during their tenure.

In addition, their proposed plans to create a network connecting students with alumnae lacked knowledge of the existing framework of the Career Crossings Office. This lack of knowledge contrasted with the Berges-Devitt ticket’s familiarity with the

current network.

Despite Hanson and Salgado’s experience on SGA committees, their platform lacks any basis in reality. While their campaign pillar of inclusivity seems well-intentioned, their vocabulary when discussing members of the student body is concerning and leans toward othering minority students and campus employees. However, the ticket does have plans for implementing mentorship programs for firstgeneration students and establishing a student-led business in the basement of Le Mans Hall.

Our endorsement of Berges and Devitt does not come without reservations.

The ticket did not have concrete plans to fulfill their campaign promise of forming a working relationship between NDPD and Campus Safety. While we respect their admiration for the work of Campus Safety, their inability to criticize the department’s shortcomings cannot lead to the safety improvements they seek. In addition, Berges and Devitt failed to emphasize the importance of enhancing resources for survivors of sexual assault. Much of their platform seems to be the continuation of line items started by previous administrations — and we would hope to see these goals come to fruition during their term.

Still, we are confident that Berges and Devitt will enact tangible change to the Saint Mary’s community during their term under their three tenets: “Enhance, serve and unite.”

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The observer | wednesday, march 10, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

For the overthinkers Sydni Brooks Everything is Fine

I didn’t recognize how bad of an overthinker I was until I caught myself judging how I sounded speaking in class with my mask on. I grew nervous that I sounded extremely muffled and my professor wouldn’t be able to hear what I was trying to articulate. I simultaneously feared the mask made me sound quieter, but I didn’t want to raise my voice because I didn’t want to sound like I was screaming. Since the cadence of my voice is partially out of my control whether I wear a mask or not, I recognized how completely ridiculous I was for ridiculing myself on how strange I thought I sounded in front of my class. I began to acknowledge all the things I overthink and recognized that from things like how well I’m doing academically to my relationships with my friends and family, I stress over my abilities of being a good student, daughter, sister, friend and person.

I stress about how other people perceive me or how my actions are interpreted by others, and I feel that I constantly have to prove I’m funny enough to fit into my friend groups, smart enough to attend such a prestigious university, Black enough to completely identify with those that look like me or adult enough to function successfully in society. However, I began to understand that as much as I stress over what everyone thinks of me and what I think of myself, no one else is thinking about me as much as I think they are because they are probably thinking just as heavily about themselves.

We place ourselves at the center of our own lives because it’s the only life we know; we are the main character of our life story. Our thoughts are constantly consumed with how we appear or reflect on other people because our concepts of right and wrong or

acceptable and unacceptable are based on our relationships with each other, as well as the consequences we have watched others endure. If we see someone being negatively critiqued or ridiculed because of how they talk or what they wear, we subconsciously place them in a category we choose to separate ourselves from, and we make a point to do things in opposition to those “negative” behaviors. While these initial judgements might seem like harmless opinions, continuing to distinguish socially acceptable behaviors into categories can cause us to dictate every minuscule detail of our lives, such as how long we look in someone’s eyes while talking to them, or how close someone is to you in order to continue holding the door open.

Once we become trapped in this cycle of micromanaging every detail of our lives to fit into our personal definitions of social acceptance, we become exhausted in tyrannizing what we can and can’t do. We decide to dictate our own success to our own degree and try to discard the artificial standards we have created for ourselves. However, our measurements of success are modeled after how other people succeed, regardless of what route to success we take. We live our lives through the relationships and ideologies of the people around and before us, so leaving behind the presumed thoughts and opinions of other people is extremely difficult because those thoughts and opinions are how we experience life.

We strive to present the best version of ourselves to other people because we want those around us to have positive responses to our character. We desire to make our parents and family members proud, to make our friends enjoy being around us and to make our romantic partners believe we are the best companion to compliment them. It is not solely about caring what other people think about us; it is about wanting to live the most fulfilled life with the

most developed character, but we subject ourselves to the opinions of others to define what that “most fulfilled life” and “most developed character” is. We can comprehend the notion that not everyone is going to like us because everyone’s interests are different. However, we want the number of people who don’t like us to be small, and even if we aren’t some people’s favorite person in the world, we don’t want them to have negative thoughts about us. We analyze ourselves based on what we think other people are analyzing about us, and in doing so, we over analyze the things we do in order to appear “better” in front of others and, in turn, ourselves.

While I don’t have the cure to overthinking, I can rationalize that if everyone is so focused on how they are perceived by the outside world, they probably don’t have time to over analyze every detail about someone else. We stress ourselves out over how many times we raise our hand in class or which shoes match those specific pair of jeans, but people are so focused on how long they’ve raised their own hand and the shoes that match their own pair of jeans that the small pieces of embarrassment we might feel when we succumb to something that falls into the socially unacceptable phase are honestly unnecessary. I won’t tell you to stop overthinking, because I believe that overthinking is better than not thinking at all.

However, no one is thinking as hard about you as you are thinking about you, because they are probably thinking just as hard about themselves.

Sydni Brooks is a junior at Notre Dame studying English and gender studies. She is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, and calls Flaherty Hall home on campus. With equal passions in writing and helping others, she hopes to serve her community well in her future. She can be reached at sbrooks2@nd.edu or @sydnimaree22 on Twitter.

The Charleston in the 2020s Elizabeth Prater SparkND

Looking out onto West Quad, you can occasionally see the splendor of the men of Duncan Hall, clad in their trademark green blazers. How does one of the newest men’s dorms on campus gain such status in their emblems of class and style? I can’t help but find striking similarities but as to Jay Gatsby’s estate.

Located in West Egg, Gatsby’s estate is the paradigm of power, identifiable to narrator Nick Carraway by the green light that is visible from across the water.

Everyone is captivated by Jay Gatsby and the wealth that he seems to perpetuate with each extravagant party.

KERRY SCHNEEMAN | The Observer

While I could spend a lengthy amount of time attempting to draw out parallels between the iconic work of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Duncan Hall, I believe stronger connections can be established between the themes of the book and life lessons that can be gleaned from it.

Jay Gatsby is not initially a man of means. He grows up in the agricultural domain of the Midwest, where he then moves to New York to pursue what English teachers across America engrain into students’ heads as the “American Dream.” At the end of the novel, we realize that perhaps he never fully achieves this dream, despite his bounds of riches.

While “The Great Gatsby” is a cult-favorite for required reading lists, I believe the novel offers some real merit, despite its overuse and interesting 2013 adaptation. (Sorry Leo.) In a way, I think a lot of Notre Dame students resemble a version of Jay Gatsby. Many of us have large aspirations, pursuing higher education for a myriad of reasons. We toiled over every standardized test that was thrown our way, spent all of our time in club meetings and wrote personal statements that attempted to sum our life thus far in an unreasonable word count.

As I walk around campus, I can’t help but feel grateful. For the dome in the distance, the swans that beautifully grace the lakes — from a safe distance — and the playing of the Alma Mater on game day. All of my past study sessions seem worth it when I’m able to call Notre Dame my home.

However, I hope that we continue to look at “The Great Gatsby” as a reminder to check our motivations for pursuing such accolades. Gatsby believed that his increase in wealth would win over Daisy’s heart, but of course, his desire never came true.

When you are spending all hours of the night at Hesburgh Library, perhaps you chase graduating with Latin honors or getting into a prestigious law school.

But what do these goals mean without purpose?

One can spend an entire lifetime pursuing a plethora of degrees, trophies and filling one’s bank account.

However, at the end of the day, will these things fulfill us? Will they make us happy? Or will we be like Gatsby,

succumbing to loneliness after a night of luxury?

I’m not necessarily advocating for everlasting altruism to be our savior, nor saying that we can’t aim to achieve such ambitions. However, I think it’s important to have an anchor that grounds us, reminding us of our humanity and the transitory nature of life.

None of our possessions — whether material or that of power — are a given. One day, we can wake up, and everything for which we have worked can dissipate under irrepressible forces that we cannot explain.

What then, will be the thing that brings us hope? What will bring us joy?

They say that history repeats itself every century, and there are outstanding applications to how we can analyze “The Great Gatsby” in a modern context. The 2020s haven’t been off to a great start, but through the chaos, we are offered a time of reflection and an inspection of our inner selves.

Although many students roll their eyes when they are given this book to read in schools across the nation, we should heed Jay Gatsby’s story. It spews a tale that is familiar to many high achievers of the 21st century — that is, of ephemeral fulfillment and eternal dissatisfaction.

In other words, once we achieve something, like Gatsby, it is never quite enough. In an effort to go forward, one can become so backwards that one loses what is truly important. “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

Elizabeth Prater is a first-year student with double majors in marketing and Program of Liberal Studies.

In her free time, she manages her goldendoodle’s Instagram account (@genevieve_the_cute_dog) which has over 23K followers. She can be reached at eprater@nd.edu or @elizabethlianap on Twitter.

The views expressed in this column are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.

The observer | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

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JACKIE JUNCO | The Observer

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The observer | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

“Only Wanna Be With You (Pokémon 25 Version)” — Post Malone

By Ryan Israel, Scene Editor

The context surrounding this song is baffling, to say the least. For the 25th anniversary of a Japanese video game turned dominant media franchise (Pokémon), a former rapper, current superstar singer (Post Malone) covers the hit song (“Only Wanna Be With You”) of a quintessential ‘90s college rock band (Hootie & The Blowfish). It makes total sense, right?

Outrageous circumstances aside, Post Malone’s cover isn’t half bad. The song plays to his strengths, letting him stretch out his vocals over the guitar-heavy chorus. While he doesn’t reach the deep register of Darius Rucker, he holds his own. The song’s biggest flaw is its forced inclusion of sound effects from the Pokémon games; the digital bleep-bloops and keys crowd the instrumental and leave the song feeling overproduced.

Perhaps the best part of Post Malone’s cover is the potential it signals for his upcoming work. He’s finding inspiration in rock music past — early in quarantine, he did an awesome performance covering the music of Nirvana — and leaning into the guitar. A true Post Malone rock album may not be on the horizon, but maybe we can get an “MTV Unplugged” performance. I can only hope.

“Rainforest” — Noname

By Aidan O’Malley, Scene Writer

“Noname” is an unfortunately apt title for one of the best artists currently in the rap game — far too few people are familiar with her work. You might have heard

By DILLON BEGLEY Scene Writer

When it comes to Marvel and its Cinematic Universe (MCU), we as an audience are always told to expect the unexpected. However, all 23 films released thus far share many things in common. They all follow a similar story arc, are known to be magnificent CGI set pieces and are all presented as two or two-and-a-half hour movies.

With “WandaVision,” Marvel has subverted even those expectations, turning its own template upside down with a new venture into television on Disney+.

The first Marvel television show to premiere on Disney+, “WandaVision” started in January and finished with its series finale on Mar. 5. Now, this was not Marvel’s first live-action show ever, as they’ve produced previous shows such as “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “Daredevil” and “Jessica Jones.” However, this would be the first show to truly be considered canon in the MCU and to tie heavily into the Marvel franchise movies. Instead of being presented as one singular two-hour movie, “WandaVision” comes as nine separate 30-40 minute episodes released weekly. Furthermore, instead of being primarily actionfocused, this show follows the tradition of one of television’s earliest inventions, the sitcom. Essentially, it’s a sitcom set in the MCU with some special twists.

And I loved every second of it. This show is nothing but pure fun with two of our now most beloved Marvel characters. As Wanda, Elizabeth Olsen gives her best

the Chicago-born rapper’s features on various songs by Chance the Rapper — “Lost” off of “Acid Rap,” for instance, or my personal favorite, “Drown” off of “Coloring Book.” In the intervening years, Noname has established an outstanding career of her own, and — no offense to Chance — has eclipsed him two or three times over.

“Rainforest” is the lead single off Noname’s forthcoming third record, “Factory Baby,” which is due at some point this year. Produced by The Kount with featured vocals by Adam Ness, it is, as Rolling Stone so aptly described it, “revolutionary music you can dance to.”

Noname isn’t quiet about her socialist influences; on “Rainforest,” she weaves together a rich tapestry of political and philosophical ideas ranging from the ills of capitalism to the destruction of the natural world, as well as how those issues compound one another if you’re Black.

Noname isn’t a lyricist so much as she is a poet, and after you give “Rainforest” a listen — which you must — you’ll want to dive into its Genius page and linger over each and every line.

Also, stream her first two records, “Telefone” and “Room 25.”

parroted the Gap Band. His new single, “Leave The Door Open” — released as a part of the Anderson .Paak collaboration Silk Sound — is the latest track in this lineage, fitting into a 70s-influenced sweet spot that owes as much to Billy Paul as it does Bobby Charles. .Paak and Mars trade lines over a tight full-band arrangement, albeit one that never quite flourishes into the same Isley Brothers-meet-Morris Day vibe that marks Mars’ finest work.

“Spinning” — No Rome (with The 1975 and Charli XCX)

By Dessi Gomez, Scene Writer

By Jake Winningham, Associate Scene Editor

“Spinning” lives up to its name with a chaotic cacophony of sound. This great collaboration between No Rome, The 1975 and Charli XCX is an ideal release for springtime, when we start to get that taste of summer and good weather.

The song’s upbeat dance mix will cheer you up when the permacloud inevitably returns in late March or April. I currently relate to the song as a second semester senior trying to figure out post-grad life while also doing my best to enjoy my time left on campus. I will play this song in those moments of bliss that go by in a blur because before I know it, I will be graduating and wishing I had enjoyed these moments more.

This song also gives me hope for a picture that Matty Healy of The 1975 put on his Instagram story last week featuring up and coming artist Holly Humberstone.

Bruno Mars has burnished his best-weddingband-ever vibe on the backs of singles aimed at updating the most popular sounds of decades past: “Locked out of Heaven” quoted from the Police just as much as “Uptown Funk” (perhaps illicitly)

Contact Contact Contact Contact

“Leave the Door Open” — Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic

performance to date. She shows range, handling both the traditional sitcom moments and the deep emotional ones we’re more used to. Paul Bettany also gives a superb performance as Vision and is similarly excellent in the sitcom aspect of the episodes. Vision’s character arc throughout the series is worthwhile and leaves hints for future projects.

The writing and dialogue for these characters and others were outstanding. The same can be said for the directing of the show. Its cinematography is certainly inspired by classic shows of the past and it truly emulates these shows with certain episodes. Each episode before the finale takes place in a different decade so-tospeak and imitates that decade’s version of sitcom television. The first three episodes are reminiscent of “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and “I Love Lucy.” Later on, they turn to‘70s and ‘80s shows, but my personal favorites are the episodes which are reminiscent of 2000s classics like “Malcolm and the Middle” and “Modern Family.”

The writing for this show is well done and also supremely funny when imitating these classics.

“WandVision” is primarily about our two main characters, although there are some other nice additions like Kat Dennings and Randall Park that make their returns to the Marvel Universe. While the side plots are intriguing, it’s Olsen and Bettany as Wanda and Vision who really hold the show together, and it’s in their main plotlines where the show shines, delving deep into the psyche of the couple. The show

Ryan Israel at risrael1@nd.edu Aidan O’Malley at aomalle2@nd.edu Jake Winningham at jwinning@nd.edu Dessi Gomez at dgomez5@nd.edu

appropriately continues Wanda’s storyline from what we have seen in “Captain America: Civil War” and “Avengers: Infinity War,” and there are even some great callbacks to her start in “Avengers: Age of Ultron” too.

It also deals with her trauma and past tragedies from these films.

“WandaVision” keeps the audience guessing with its little hints about the greater mystery to be solved. This viewer didn’t even realize who the true villain was until the last two episodes. That and all the post-credits scenes certainly help shape the future of the MCU and set-up more potential mov ies and shows.

Anyone who is a fan of the Marvel movies should give this show a shot, although they should be aware that it is not like the movies in terms of presentation.

With that said, I strongly suggest binge-watching this show as soon as possible. Its high quality has me extremely excited for the other Marvel shows — “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” and “Loki” — coming out later this year.

Contact Dillon Begley at dbegley@hcc-nd.edu

“WandaVision” Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Kathryn Hahn Favorite Episodes: Episode 6, Episode 9 If You Like: Marvel movies, classic sitcoms

MARY O’REILLY | The Observer

Classifieds

ndsmcobserver.com | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021 | The Observer

Crossword | Will Shortz

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Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Refuse to let change throw you off guard this year. Accept the inevitable, and keep moving forward. Use your ingenuity, and you’ll find new ways to use your talents to fit whatever is trending. Keeping up, staying informed and projecting a positive attitude will attract attention. Surround yourself with projects that promote personal growth and like-minded people. Romance is favored. Your numbers are 9, 14, 22, 28, 35, 41, 44.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Adapt and go about your business. Embrace new beginnings with enthusiasm. How you use your energy to get things done will help you gain support and the respect you desire. Don’t take a health risk or make an impulsive purchase.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Keep your life simple and the promises you make doable. Refuse to let your emotions get in the way of common sense. Focus on selfimprovement instead of trying to change others. Put your energy into something that will benefit you long-term.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Don’t let down your guard, even if someone is complimentary or seductive. Recognize manipulation when someone turns on the charm or uses emotional tactics to take advantage of you. Don’t let anger set in when intelligence is required.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Educate yourself before sharing your opinion. Change can be helpful if it saves you money, improves your health or helps you make a difference. Nurture a meaningful relationship, and it will lead to a positive change at home.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Look for the right opportunity. Don’t let someone talk you into something that will benefit them, not you. Carefully pick and choose who you associate with. A partnership will require equality on all fronts if it’s going to bring good results.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Learn through observation, and make adjustments that will help you navigate your way to a better position. An older or established individual will offer insight into possibilities. Don’t be afraid to try something new.

Love and romance are in the stars.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Be receptive to suggestions. Focus on education, communication and expanding your interests and circle of friends. Let your curiosity mount and your desire for mental stimulation open up doors that will encourage you to use your skills diversely.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Pace yourself, think matters through and look at all sides of a situation. Focus on what’s possible, and you’ll find unique ways to navigate your way through situations that are likely to lead to a dead end. Make peace and love priorities.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Put more time and energy into how you earn your living or manage your money or shared expenses and less time into relationships with people taking advantage of you or not being honest about longterm plans.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Take care of yourself physically. Start a fitness routine that encourages you to pay close attention to diet and lifestyle, and it will lift your spirits and confidence. Personal improvements will promote better work habits and result in overall success.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Discipline, hard work and persistence will play roles in how well you do today. Getting along and keeping the peace will make your life easier. Consider what’s important to you, and work quietly by yourself to ward off unwanted interference.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Take the initiative to address issues that are slowing you down. Focus on efficiency and productivity so you can accomplish what you set out to do. A change of heart will give you a new perspective on life, love and happiness.

Birthday Baby: You are spontaneous, aggressive and emotional. You are original and possessive.

Sudoku | The Mepham Group

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Sports Authority

SPorts AUTHORITY

Sterling’s title Contenders, pretenders belt legit as it gets and dark horses in March Greg McKenna Sports Writer

Before UFC 259, I was not the only one to predict that Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling’s bout for the bantamweight crown would be the Fight of the Night on a main card featuring three titles up for grabs.

Now, I’m likely one of the few standing by that claim after Saturday night (with the official distinction going to Kennedy Nzechukwu and Carlos Ulberg’s undercard fight).

After seeing the GOAT of female MMA, Amanda Nunes, expeditiously dispatch Megan Anderson to defend her featherweight title before Jan Blachowicz ground out a professional victory over the aspiring “double-champ” Israel Adesanya to retain his light heavyweight belt, the first 19 minutes of relentless pressure from Sterling and devastating counterpunching by Yan was by far the most compelling action during the title fights.

However, the bout suffered an anticlimax it did not deserve. With Yan up on two of the judges’ scorecards after three rounds and clearly ascending in the fourth against a fatigued Sterling, Yan threw away his title defense with a blatantly illegal knee to the head while Sterling maintained a guard that rendered him a “downed opponent.”

Sterling won the title due to Yan’s disqualification after being deemed unable to continue. From a cynical perspective, Sterling would have had little incentive to convince the referee and doctors he was fit to continue (which, again, he most obviously was not), which prompted ridiculous and deeply problematic accusations from Henry Cejudo, Darren Till and many others that the Jamaican American was faking an apparent concussion.

Sterling was visibly distraught about the nature of his victory and tossed the belt aside immediately after getting his hand raised. Despite requiring assistance to exit the octagon, Sterling made his way to a brief post-fight interview so he could apologize to the fans for an unsatisfying conclusion that was clearly not his fault.

“The Funkmaster,” however, had every right to proudly adorn his newly acquired bling all the way to the hospital if he so wished. Just because he likely would not have won without the egregious

mistake committed by his opponent does not make his victory any less authentic.

After all, I didn’t hear anyone argue Florida deserved a mulligan for their loss to LSU and a spot in the College Football Playoff just because Marco Wilson thought it best to celebrate a critical thirddown stop, which would have given Heisman finalist Kyle Trask nearly two minutes to lead a field goal drive against a historically bad and shorthanded Tigers defense, with a now-infamous shoe toss.

Changing games by penalizing minuscule self-inflicted infractions, never mind punishing illegal knees, is a commonly accepted dogma by fans of other sports.

If a receiver drops the football millimeters before the goal line without a defender in sight, we do not yell at officials for looking at replay to take away points the scoreboard operators were putting up when the receiver was at the 20-yard line, but instead laugh at the humiliating unforced error.

The team that almost gave up the big play does not “deserve” to have recovered a fumble purely based on their recent performance, but it is, nonetheless, considered to be the most just outcome.

Serena Williams lost a match point in a 2009 U.S. Open semifinal against Kim Clijsters after being penalized for verbally abusing a line judge and dropped an entire game due to a similar code violation in her 2018 U.S Open Final defeat to Naomi Osaka. While both rulings were controversial, they did not “cheapen” Clijsters’ or Osaka’s respective achievements.

If fans want MMA to gain further mainstream acceptance as a sport and not a bloody gimmick, they will regard Sterling’s title with similar respect.

If someone kneed me in the face when they did not have the right to do so, I would, at the very bare minimum, expect my lawyer to win me a gaudy, oversized belt in damages.

So until the two scariest men in the world at 135 pounds inevitably have their rematch, Mr. Sterling has the right to flaunt his new girdle whenever and wherever he pleases without facing a peep of critique.

Contact Greg McKenna at gmckenn2@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Jamison Cook Sports Writer

March has arrived, and that means it’s tournament time.

It seems absurd that it has already been 12 months since the pandemic robbed us of the basketball heaven that is March Madness (among other things).

For those of us who suffered even more in quarantine due to the absence of 12-5 upsets, buzzer-beaters and bracketbusting Cinderella stories, the fast-approaching Selection Sunday is a beacon of hope.

The return of the tournament not only promises a level of excitement that the seven-game series of the pros cannot deliver but also represents a return to a semblance of normal life, at least in the sports world.

The one-and-done format allows for just about anything to happen, and year after year we see mid-major programs knocking off Blue Bloods like it’s their job. However, I will attempt to help those looking for some last-minute bracket advice with some insights on who is a real contender, a pretender and a dark horse in this year’s tournament.

CONTENDERS Baylor Bears (19-1, 11-1 Big 12) Baylor claimed its first Big 12 regular-season title in over 70 years with an overtime victory over West Virginia on Tuesday.

At the time of writing the Big 12 has seven teams ranked in the top 25, making this one of the most significant conference titles in the country. Jared Butler, Davion Mitchell, and MaCio Teague are as good as any trio of guards in the country, and in the tournament is all about guardplay down the stretch. I would be shocked if they aren’t a No. 1 seed and exit before the Elite Eight. Quite honestly, I thought this team might be unbeatable before their loss to Kansas.

Illinois Fighting Illini (19-6, 15-4 Big Ten) Tuesday was a big day for the Illini as well as they ran Michigan off their home floor and made a statement heading into the Big Ten Tournament.

They did this without arguably their best player, Ayo Dosunmu.

Dosunmu can play with anybody in the country, and he is surrounded by a nice complement of guards in Trent Frazier, Adam Miller and Andre Curbelo.

Illinois also has a dominant

inside presence in the 7-foot, 285-pound Kofi Cockburn, one of the most physical big men in the country. Once again, guardplay will determine a team’s success down the stretch, but the pairing of good guards with a dominant big man gives Illinois the chance to make a deep run.

Oklahoma State Cowboys (176, 10-6 Big 12) Oklahoma State has made this list for one reason in particular: Cade Cunningham. The presumptive No. 1 overall pick has dazzled this season, highlighted by a 40-point performance in a win against rival Oklahoma on Saturday. But what sold me on the Cowboys was how they beat Oklahoma again just a few days later when Cunningham did not dominate. Oklahoma State has depth and a great collection of guards, including Avery Anderson and Isaac Likekele.

All six of their losses have come in the Big 12, which is really not a negative due to the quality of the conference. When the lights get bright, Cunningham doesn’t shy away, and Oklahoma State fans should feel very secure when the ball is in his hands.

PRETENDERS Ohio State Buckeyes (18-7, 12-7 Big Ten) I have not been high on Ohio State at any point this season, and their current three-game losing streak has served as proof of my suspicions about this team.

While many of the Buckeyes’ recent losses have been close, they have not shown the ability to close games or their chance to narrow the gap on the conference title. The loss to Michigan State is a bad one, and although neither of the losses to Michigan or Iowa can be considered bad, these are games you have to find a way to win in a close conference race at home. Additionally, Ohio State lacks size in its rotation, and this weakness was exposed against both Michigan and Illinois. The Buckeyes are trending in the wrong direction at the wrong time.

Villanova Wildcats (15-4, 10-3 Big East) Villanova appears on track to win another Big East regularseason title this year, but this is not saying much. There are only three other teams above .500 in the conference, and Creighton is the only other tournament team.

A recent loss to 9-13 Butler does little for my confidence in the Wildcats, and their lack of depth is a major concern. Villanova’s insane amounts of tournament

experience, great leadership from Collin Gillespie and great coaching from Jay Wright will get them through the first round or two, but this is not their year to make a run.

Virginia Cavaliers (16-6, 12-4 ACC) Virginia is another team that has experience and coaching, but I simply cannot justify picking past the Sweet 16, if they are lucky enough to get there. The Cavaliers’ two leading scorers are forwards, and I have stated above, guard-play is what wins games at this stage of the season. Kihei Clark has proven he can play on the biggest stage, but it is tough to trust a 5-foot-9 guard to handle constant pressure against bigger guards. The Cavaliers also only have four players averaging above nine points, and one has to wonder where the offense will come from if Hauser or Huff cannot get going (ESPN).

DARK HORSES San Diego State Aztecs (19-4, 13-3 Mountain West) San Diego State was 30-2 last season before the pandemic hit and cost them a chance at tournament glory with one of the best teams they had ever seen. The Aztecs did not lose a ton from last year, and they will be hungry to capitalize on their chance to compete this season. Matt Mitchell and Jordan Schakel are guys who can score, and the team as a whole can put up points if needed. San Diego State proved they can play with anyone last season, so don’t discount them for being in the Mountain West.

Loyola Chicago Ramblers (21-4, 16-2 MVC) If this name sounds familiar, it should. Loyola Chicago made a run to the Final Four in 2018, making them one of the biggest Cinderella stories in tournament history. This year they have not been able to fly under the radar as much, as they are currently ranked 20th in the AP Poll. Cameron Krutwig, who started at center for the 2018 team, is back and leading the team in almost every statistical category. Loyola has plenty of depth, so look for them to make some more noise this year.

Contact Jamison Cook at jcook22@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

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FOOTball

Early 2021 football preview: Florida State Observer Staff Report

It’s been just three months since Notre Dame’s 2020 season came to an end, but it feels much longer than that for all of us here at The Observer, so to pass the time, we are previewing every game on Notre Dame’s 2021 schedule. Last year, our predictions were an exercise in futility because the schedule changed almost completely, but hopefully this year there won’t be any last-minute changes.

The Irish are set to kick off their season in Tallahassee, Florida, against the Florida State Seminoles on Sept. 5 in a rare Sunday college football contest.

We’ve provided a history of the matchup, a breakdown of the opponent and some way-tooearly predictions from our staff to help tide you over until the fall.

Opponent: Florida State Seminoles Date: Sept. 5, 2021 Location: Tallahassee, Florida Kickoff: TBD

History of the matchup This will be the 11th meeting between the two programs.

The Seminoles own a 6-4 record against the Irish, but Notre Dame has won the last two

games, including a 42-26 home victory last year. By far the most notable matchup was the 1993 contest, dubbed the “Game of the Century.” Florida State came in as the top-ranked team, but the second-ranked Irish emerged with a 31-24 victory thanks to multiple late defensive stands. Another battle between top-five teams took place in 2014, when the Irish were ranked fifth and the Seminoles second. Florida State was victorious, 31-27, in the back-andforth game after Notre Dame had the potential game-winning touchdown called back due to offensive pass interference.

2020 performance Florida State had a difficult season last year in what was head coach Mike Norvell’s first season with the program, finishing with a 3-6 record, including a 2-6 mark in the ACC. However, one of those wins was a massive upset against thenNo. 5 North Carolina, and their other two wins came against an FCS opponent, Jackson State, and in the last game of the season against Duke.

They had a revolving door at quarterback, with four different signal-callers starting at times throughout the season,

due to injuries and poor play.

The Seminoles were among the youngest teams in college football last season, with underclassmen making up more than 74% of their roster. They were also hit hard by the injury bug and COVID-19-related issues, making it difficult to maintain continuity throughout the roster.

2021 outlook By far the highest-profile addition the Seminoles made this offseason was former UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton, who led UCF to an undefeated season in 2017 before being sidelined by a devastating knee injury the following year. Early reports from Tallahassee indicate he is fully cleared to begin spring practices, and he should challenge for the starting job.

Jordan Travis, who started six games last season, will likely compete with Milton for playing time as well.

The Seminoles return their top wide receiver, Ontaria Wilson, but beyond that, there is not much experience within that group. The Seminoles averaged nearly 200 yards on the ground last year and return two of their top three running backs, so with question marks at the

quarterback and wide receiver positions, they may rely heavily on the run again. On the offensive line, the Seminoles had a very young group last year, but they return four starters.

Defensively, Florida State allowed the third-most yards per game in the ACC. The defense should be much improved this season, thanks to the addition of multiple transfers, especially in the secondary, although former All-American defensive tackle Marvin Wilson will be difficult to replace.

Way-too-early Predictions Liam Coolican — Sports Writer Florida State was the one of youngest teams in college football last year and made some intriguing transfer pickups.

They’ll certainly be better than they were a year ago, but the degree of improvement will largely depend on the quarterback position, which remains a question mark. Playing on the road in Tallahassee is never easy, and the Seminoles may provide an early challenge for the Irish. I predict a close first half, much like we saw last season, but the Irish have the superior talent at nearly every position and will run away

with the game in the second half.

Final: Notre Florida State 24

Dame

45,

Mannion McGinley — Associate Sports Editor Based on the 2020 match-up these two had and how both teams’ seasons played out after that — the Irish heading to the CFP and the Seminoles finishing 3-6 — I should expect a similar score, but there are things that make me nervous.

In 2020, the Seminoles were having a quarterback issue, and coming into the 2021 season, they have two very viable options. They also have more stability, as it will be head coach Norvell’s second year with the team. The Irish, on the other hand, now have to decide on who their leading signalcaller will be. And, will the quarterback be able to lead the Irish well enough on offense to make the point margin as significant as 42-26? Can Kelly help whoever takes the helm to achieve that? If he can’t, by the grace of the defense, this will be a narrow win.

Final: Notre Florida State 17

Dame

24,

ND Men’s Lacrosse

Irish off to fast start, move into top 10

By NATE MOLLER Sports Writer

The ninth-ranked men’s lacrosse team recorded their second victory of the season this past Saturday against Bellarmine with a score of 12-6.

Although it took some time for the Irish to ultimately pull away and win, the Irish finished off the game with a strong fourth quarter to win the game by a fairly comfortable margin.

After grabbing a 5-1 lead in the first quarter, Bellarmine was able to fight back and bring the score to 7-4 at halftime.

Despite these minor miscues early on in the game, the Irish were able to stay composed and put together a dominating fourth quarter performance to secure the victory by a six goal margin.

Head coach Kevin Corrigan was pleased with the play of his setup defense against Bellarmine on Saturday.

“I thought that our defense was good, and they had trouble generating any opportunities against our set up defense,” Corrigan said.

Corrigan was disappointed, however, that his team

gave Bellarmine chances outside of the setup defense, allowing the Knights to hang around in the game.

“We gave them opportunities to score outside of the setup defensively. W hen you have a team who can’t generate things against your setup defense, part of understanding the game is understanding that you don’t give up other opportunities,” Corrigan said. “That’s something we’ve got to be better at. Because that was a day where we could have had a more dominating defensive day and we kept ourselves having that a bit by giving them penalties and transition opportunities that we shouldn’t have given up.”

Corrigan was pleased with his teams’ ability to keep their composure even after some mistakes.

“Our guys did keep their composure and they didn’t make it into something worse until we ultimately were able to make some plays to stretch the lead a little bit,” Corrigan said.

Corrigan was proud of his team’s ability to distribute the ball and work together.

The Irish had seven different

players score in Saturday’s game.

“We continue to be pretty self less with the ball, and we move the ball really well. We have a lot of different people contributing,” Corrigan said.

Corrigan was also very pleased with his defensive midfielders’ abilities to create offensive chances for his team.

“At the offensive end of the field, our defensive midfielders continue to do an outstanding job of not just playing deep and clearing the ball but even creating offensive opportunities for us at the other end,” Corrigan said. “There’s a lot of good to build on and certainly some things that we need to look at closer and get better.”

Sophomore attack Pat Kavanagh was once again outstanding for the Irish, recording six assists on the day. Through two games this season, Kavanagh has an astounding 13 assists.

Corrigan attributes the success of Kavanagh to his skillset and the zone defense that Bellarmine and Robert Morris showed against the Irish this season.

“Pat is the trigger guy in our zone, and he’s got a great

sense of the game” Corrigan said. ”He’s got good skills and great eyesight, and he really sees the game. If they’re gonna let him stay back there and have his hands free and his eyes up, they’re gonna pay a price for that.”

Corrigan was also pleased with the play of junior midfielder Quinn McCahon who scored four goals on Saturday.

“Quinn McCann played a really good game. He had a really smart day and scored four goals, but all were within what we were doing,” Corrigan said. “They were just the type of plays by nothing spectacular, but just a lot of good lacrosse from him.”

Corrigan also mentioned senior midfielder Ryan Hallenbeck, senior midfielder Daniel Cassidy and junior LSM Jose Boyer for their efforts on Saturday.

Corrigan also praised his whole defensive unit in sixon-six situations.

“Our first defense in six on six situations was very effective,” Corrigan said. “I think that we have to know that and appreciate that in those situations, we did a really good job.”

Corrigan was also ecstatic

to see fans in the stands on Saturday, and he hopes more and more fans can continue to attend if COV ID-19 health guidelines allow.

“It’s nice to see people there, that’s for sure,” Corrigan said. “I’d love to play in front of a full house forty years over. Hopefully we can keep getting there.”

Corrigan explained how playing in front of a limited crowd serves as a good reminder to his players that the COV ID-19 pandemic is still very real.

“For us it’s still a reminder that everyday is a day that we have to make good decisions, and make sure that we protect each other,” Corrigan said. “I’m really proud of our guys this spring and the way they’ve done that so far, but they need to continue doing it because it can all turn around in a moment. W hile we may be closer to the end than we are to the beginning on this thing, we’re not out of the woods yet.”

The Irish will return to action next Wednesday against Marquette in Arlotta Stadium.

Contact Nate Moller at nmoller2@nd.edu

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Sports

The observer | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

Hockey Continued from page 16

sheet, too. Clurman deflected a shot from junior forward Jake Pivonka past Autio to put the game out of reach with five minutes remaining.

Game two got off to completely the opposite start; Notre Dame came out of the gates guns blazing, registering the game’s four shots.

However, for the second consecutive game, the Nittany Lions struck first. Penn State freshman forward Christian Sarlo broke behind the Irish defense and barely beat St. Cyr with a backhander.

It took the Irish a bit longer to respond, as they entered the second trailing 1-0. But just 33 seconds into the frame, senior defenseman Matt Hellickson sprung Alex Steeves to the goal uncovered. Alex would make it a two-goal weekend for the Steeves brothers, beating Autio high to the glove side to tie the game 1-1.

Notre Dame would add two more goals to their total before the second period concluded.

Pivonka sniped one past Autio to break the deadlock after Ellis forced a neutral-zone turnover. Just a few minutes

Thomas Continued from page 16

Dancing with the Stars. The stated reasoning behind this was that Ogunbowale’s appearance was not directly related to her basketball career, although it was evident her fame from hitting consecutive buzzer-beaters to help the Irish win a championship was helpful — to say the least — in generating some of these opportunities.

So yes, I think it’s good that Notre Dame withdrew, at least for now, from the EA Sports game. But, let’s not ignore the hypocrisy that is simply dripping from Jack Swarbrick’s comments. It’s easy for Swarbrick to issue a nicesounding quote about putting the students first and ascend to his almighty throne as a champion for student rights, but isn’t Notre Dame just as guilty as pretty much any other program in the country at taking advantage of NIL? What about all those football jerseys in the bookstore?

Is it a coincidence that the No. 12 football jersey is so prominently displayed and the best-seller? Does that bear no relation to a certain No. 12 who became the winningest quarterback in Notre Dame football history this past fall?

No? Just a random No. 12?

What a coincidence. Much like EA Sports had to shelve their NCAA football game for having game characters like “Notre Dame Quarterback No. 12.” It’s not fooling anyone. Everyone buying the jersey knows they are buying an Ian Book jersey.

later, the Irish struck again.

This time, Janicke deflected a point shot by senior defenseman Nick Leivermann to the back of the net, giving Notre Dame a 3-1 lead heading into the final 20 minutes.

But Jeff Jackson’s club was not content with sitting on their lead, adding to it with a four-goal barrage.

Impressively, all of the goals came at even strength, despite Penn State freshman defenseman Christian Berger receiving a five-minute major for contact to the head, which combined with another penalty, gave Notre Dame a full 2-minute 5-on-3 and an additional three minutes at 5-on4. It was the culmination of a very physical series. Game two was especially physical, featuring several scrums and big hits.

After Penn State’s forecheck dominated the early portion of game one, Notre Dame’s forecheck finished the series strong. Early in the third, Ellis again forced a Penn State turnover, this time behind their own net. Sophomore forward Jesse Lansdell received a pass near the net and deftly lifted the puck over Autio’s glove.

The goal gave Notre Dame a commanding 4-1 lead and a

A quick visit to the bookstore also reveals a few other of the more common numbers present on the purchasable football jerseys: No. 6 (definitely not related to Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Notre Dame’s star linebacker and likely first-round pick), and No. 11 (certainly not transfer wide receiver Ben Skowronek).

Notre Dame is directly capitalizing on the fame — or at least campus-wide popularity — of their top athletes on their most prominent athletic team.

Jerseys are a clear and direct implication of using name, image and likeness without compensating athletes. But for Jack Swarbrick, video games is where he draws the line? Was it a profit calculation — the risk of getting involved in a potential NIL lawsuit prior to the vote wasn’t worth being in the game. The Notre Dame brand transcends EA Sports, and it certainly doesn’t need to be in the game to survive in the modern era, despite some arguments that it could harm recruiting. So Swarbrick isn’t exactly making some monumental sacrifice for his student-athletes here, and let’s not just look over all the tangible “coincidences” he could take out of the bookstore that harm the NIL movement directly.

That’s a lot of coincidences for someone who’s trying to plant his flag as a studentfirst guy who doesn’t want a video game taking advantage of his athletes. The hypocrisy is particularly noticeable when you consider the upcoming company, MOGL, co-founded by former Notre

goalie change for the Nittany Lions.

The Irish continued to do the right things as the period went on, and continued to be rewarded. Senior forward Colin Theisen won a battle along the boards that caused the puck to pop into the slot. A wide-open Janicke was waiting there to score his second of the game and fourth of the year with a perfectly placed wrist shot.

Notre Dame continued to pour it on with a pair of late two-on-one goals. The first was a gorgeous give-and-go between junior defenseman Spencer Stastney and Ellis.

The Slaggert brothers would combine for Notre Dame’s final goal of the regular season.

Landon hit junior forward Graham Slaggert backdoor for his seventh of the year. Third goaltender senior Nick Sanford came in for the last five minutes. Sanford made a nice save on a backhander, the only shot he faced, to preserve the 7-1 final.

With the regular season complete, Notre Dame shifts its focus towards winning another Big Ten championship. This year’s tournament will be held at Compton Family Ice Arena from March 18-20. The Irish will face the same Penn State

Photo Courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics

Irish sophomore forward Solag Bakich pursues the puck during Notre Dame’s 0-3 loss to Minnesota on Feb. 13 at Compton Ice Arena.

team in the quarter-finals.

The Irish are 3-0-1 against Penn State this year. The

clubs split a pair of overtime decisions in State College in December.

Photo Courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics

Irish graduate student quarterback Ian Book passes to a teammate during Notre Dame’s 14-31 loss to Alabama in the Rose Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlinigton, Texas on Jan. 1 in the CFP semifinal game.

Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush, dedicated to providing a digital agency for college athletes to maximize their brand-building opportunities.

Wimbush and his co-founder — and fellow Notre Dame graduate — Ayden Syal, have made appearances at Notre Dame events to promote the company. As that company, looking to empower athletes

in the NIL era, gains publicity, while being spearheaded by two Notre Dame graduates, including a former quarterback, Swarbrick’s comments ring even more hollow.

So please save us your hero-talk, your made-for-press comments designed to make it sound like your for the athletes. And maybe focus on what you could have already

done to help in the name, image and likeness revolution — for starters maybe taking those “12” Notre Dame football jerseys off the shelves.

Contact Aidan Thomas at athoma28@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

sports

ndsmcobserver.com | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021 | The Observer

15

ND WOmen’s Tennis | Nd 4, Virginia Tech 1; Virginia 6, ND 1

Irish beat Virginia Tech, drop one to Virginia Observer Staff Report

Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published online March 8.

With a big series win this past weekend at Clemson, the Notre Dame baseball team improved to 4-2 both on the season and against ACC opponents and earned the No. 25 national ranking.

On Friday night, Notre Dame dropped the first game of the series 13-7 in an offensive

showdown. RBIs from senior center fielder Spencer Myers, senior second baseman Jared Miller and senior first baseman Niko Kavadas weren’t enough for the Irish against Clemson’s bats, which put up seven runs in the fifth inning alone.

Both offenses cooled down in the second game of the series, and the Irish rallied to beat the Tigers 3-1 on Saturday. Kavadas gave Notre Dame an early lead in the top of the first with a two-run home run that was crushed to dead center to bring junior infielder Carter

Putz home. Graduate student left-handed pitcher John Michael Bertrand had a quality start, striking out eight batters over seven innings of work to hold Clemson to a single run. In the eighth, the Irish reached for the bullpen for the first time all game, and Will Mercer earned his first career save with a scoreless final two innings.

Notre Dame carried this defensive dominance over to the Sunday matinee. The Irish defense and relief pitching shined to drive the team to a 3-2 victory and series win. After Clemson jumped

ahead with a run in the second inning, the Irish went to the bullpen early bringing out graduate student Joe Sheridan in relief.

Sheridan and sophomore Liam Simon combined for an impressive seven innings of relief, one earned run, and nine strikeouts.

In the sixth, designated hitter Carter Putz doubled deep to left field to drive in two runners and give the Irish a 3-1 lead.

Sophomore right-handed pitcher Jack Brannigan faced the final Clemson batter with the tying run on third and forced a pop-up

to the infield to end the game at a final score of 3-2 and secure another Irish victory over the Tigers.

The Irish return to action this Friday afternoon in Charlottesville to face the Virginia Cavaliers (6-5, 2-4 ACC) in a three-game ACC series this weekend. Friday’s game starts at 3 p.m., and the matchups Saturday and Sunday begin at 1 p.m. All the games will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra. Notre Dame’s home opener is the following weekend against Duke (6-5, 3-3 ACC).

BASEBALL | Clemson 13, ND 7; nd 3, Clemson 1; ND 3, CLemson 2

ND drops game, wins series against Clemson Observer Staff Report

With a big series win this past weekend at Clemson, the Notre Dame baseball team improved to 4-2 both on the season and against ACC opponents and earned the No. 25 national ranking.

On Friday night, Notre Dame dropped the first game of the series 13-7 in an offensive showdown. RBIs from senior center fielder Spencer Myers, senior second baseman Jared Miller and senior first baseman Niko Kavadas weren’t enough for the Irish against Clemson’s bats, which put up seven runs in the fifth inning alone.

Both offenses cooled down in the second game of the series, and the Irish rallied to beat the Tigers 3-1 on Saturday. Kavadas gave Notre Dame an early lead in the top of the first with a two-run

MBball Continued from page 16

somebody would make a play and get it to ten,” Coach Mike Brey said of their opponent’s lead in his post-game interview.

In addition to this, the team suffered on defense. The players were unable to get the rebounds necessary for them to retake the lead. This put the Irish several points behind the Demon Deacons, which they were unable to recover from until the final minutes of the game.

“We didn’t rebound very well, early, to dig that hole,” Brey said. “We defended most of the game Saturday against Florida State. We didn’t tonight.”

According to Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes in his halftime interview, his players “got some easy baskets” against Notre Dame’s defense, which put them ahead.

By the end of the half, junior forward Nate Laszewski, who has proven himself to be a linchpin player on the court,

home run that was crushed to dead center to bring junior infielder Carter Putz home. Graduate student left-handed pitcher John Michael Bertrand had a quality start, striking out eight batters over seven innings of work to hold Clemson to a single run. In the eighth, the Irish reached for the bullpen for the first time all game, and Will Mercer earned his first career save with a scoreless final two innings.

Notre Dame carried this defensive dominance over to the Sunday matinee. The Irish defense and relief pitching shined to drive the team to a 3-2 victory and series win. After Clemson jumped ahead with a run in the second inning, the Irish went to the bullpen early bringing out graduate student Joe Sheridan in relief. Sheridan and sophomore Liam Simon combined for an impressive seven

already had three fouls to his name, and Wake Forest led the score, 44-37.

The second half started on a similar foot. The Demon Deacons continued to make three-pointers, subsequently furthering their lead. At the 16 minute mark, the Wake Forest bench shouted cheers after a successful play, further contributing to the air of Wake Forest domination. Laszewski and Wertz both gained their fourth foul, while junior guard Cormac Ryan suffered an injury to his hip, taking him out of the game for a period of time.

However, the half marked an upswing in basket-making for the Irish. Junior guard Dane Goodwin helped keep the Irish on the board, scoring nine points in the second half.

Graduate student guard Nikola Djogo also proved to be a force on the court after making his own three-point shots and blocking Wake Forest attempts at a basket. Hubb also gained his first points of the game, causing his level of gameplay to continue to improve.

“You can’t keep a winner like that down for 40 minutes,”

innings of relief, one earned run, and nine strikeouts.

In the sixth, designated hitter Carter Putz doubled deep to left field to drive in two runners and give the Irish a 3-1 lead.

Sophomore right-handed pitcher Jack Brannigan faced the final Clemson batter with the tying run on third and forced a pop-up to the infield to end the game at a final score of 3-2 and secure another Irish victory over the Tigers.

The Irish return to action this Friday afternoon in Charlottesville to face the Virginia Cavaliers (6-5, 2-4 ACC) in a three-game ACC series this weekend. Friday’s game starts at 3 p.m., and the matchups Saturday and Sunday begin at 1 p.m. All the games will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra. Notre Dame’s home opener is the following weekend against Duke (65, 3-3 ACC).

Brey said of Hubb.

As for the turning point for the team, Brey named the tenminute mark as the time they began to pick up momentum.

“At the ten minute mark, it didn’t look very good,” Brey said. “I said ‘fellows, how we finish the game is really going to determine a lot about how we go into next season … Show me how you’re going to play it, because I’m really interested.’”

Hubb tied the score 75-75 after sinking a three-pointer, putting the team back into the competition. Notre Dame held a fourteen-point streak for over five and a half minutes, while their defense solidified, making Wake Forest unable to advance their score.

“I thought our defense in the last seven minutes was the difference,” Brey said. “I thought the lineup we had on the floor really defended well together.”

Ryan also spoke on the energy of the team during those moments.

“We’ve got hungry guys in the locker room, and we’ve got a bunch of fighters, and we weren’t going down without a fight,” Ryan said. “And that’s

Observer File Photo

Irish senior centerfielder David LaManna bats during Notre Dame’s 5-2 win over Virginia on April 5, 2019 at home.

exactly what we did: we fought back and got it done.”

When the score was tied again at 77-77 in the last seconds of the game, Ryan obtained the ball and passed it to Wentz, who made the winning shot, causing the stadium to erupt. This made the final score 80-77, Notre Dame.

Brey said that it was a special moment for Wertz, as he is from North Carolina and had never played in the ACC tournament before.

“When he rose up to take it, I’m going ‘this could be such an unbelievable story,’” he said. “He’s never played in the building. He’s watched the ACC tournament his whole life, and his first game he drills it in his home state. I mean, it’s just a great story.”

Ryan, who gave the pass to set up the shot, said he felt it would go in the second it left Wentz’s hands.

“We knew it was good,” Ryan said. “We were walking off the court already.”

For Wertz, a part of his reason for committing to Notre Dame was to play in the ACC. “It’s a dream come true; as a

little kid dreaming of playing in the ACC and to be able to do that … I couldn’t ask for anything better,” Wertz said. “We were laughing about it on the court that I wasn’t even supposed to play this year. And now that I’m back here in the ACC tournament in my home state, playing in something I grew up watching my whole life, and to be able to hit that shot is really surreal.”

As for the game as a whole, Brey commented on the team’s camaraderie as a vital component to their success.

“I think there’s a toughness about them, and there’s a togetherness about this group,” Brey said. “Even through everything they’ve been through, they’ve had each other’s back.”

He hopes this continues into the game against North Carolina Wednesday night.

“What we do in the ACC is kind of amazing, quite frankly,” Brey said. “If you can win the first one, which we’ve done many times in the ACC, it kind of gives you hope.”

Contact Emily DeFazio at edefazio@nd.edu

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The observer | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

Column

nd men’s basketball | ND 80, WAke Forest 77

So Jack, how ‘bout those jerseys?

By AIDAN THOMAS Sports Writer

Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published online March 1.

“As those rules are developed, it is our strong desire that student-athletes be allowed to benefit directly from allow ing their name, image and performance histor y to be used in the game”.

Brave words, Jack.

W hen Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick came out w ith that quote, the news spread like w ildfire — no Notre Dame in the new E A Sports College Football game? One of the biggest brands in college sports taken away? Jokes rolled in — would E A basically ignore it and create some pseudoIrish team? Some keyboard warriors sarcastically suggested using the “South Bend Leprechauns” as a moniker, essentially by passing Notre Dame’s resistance to their use of the logo. A ll of

Irish overcome 15-point deficit to squeeze out win

that is an interesting point, and how the production of the game proceeds remains to be seen, w ith a lot of the details likely to be worked out after the upcoming name, image and likeness (NIL) vote that is expected to make revolutionar y changes as to how collegiate athletes can benefit from their personal brands.

But let’s rev isit the brave words from Mr. Swarbrick.

To be clear, before I go any further, I think the indiv idual decision was a great move.

The NIL vote is a muchneeded change in college sports, as the inabilit y for college athletes to capitalize on personal branding opportunities was ridiculous, and it led to inconsistent rulings from the NCA A on related issues. One such inconsistent ruling was directly related to Notre Dame, when women’s basketball legend and Final Four hero Arike Ogunbowale was permitted to be on see THOMAS PAGE 14

By EMILY DeFAZIO Sports Writer

Photo Courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics

Irish junior guard Trey Wertz puts up a shot during Notre Dame’s 80-77 win over Wake Forest at Greensboro Coliseum on Monday.

Notre Dame advances to face North Carolina in the ACC tournament after their win against Wake Forest Tuesday night. This follows a buzzer-beater three-point shot by junior guard Trey Wertz to cap off the close game.

The game started off rough for the Irish (11-14, 8-11 ACC). After winning the tip-off, Wake Forest (616, 3-15 ACC) dominated the score board, despite Notre Dame gaining the first points of the match.

Graduate student forward Juwan Durham saw some action, with the ball usually winding up in his hands for some early points. Junior guard Prentiss Hubb, who is usually a lead scorer for the team, did not make a basket during the first half. Instead, Wertz was the player making the three-point shots, even though they were limited.

Though shots went back and forth between the two teams, Wake Forest proved to be more consistent in the first portion of the game.

“Every time we’d get it to six, see M BBALL PAGE 15

HoCkey | ND 5, Penn state 2; ND 7, Penn state 1

Notre Dame caps regular season with sweep Observer Staff Report

Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published online March 8.

Photo Courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics

Irish junior forward Alex Steeves makes a pass during Notre Dame’s 0-3 loss to Minnesota on Feb. 13 at Compton Family Ice Arena.

Nearly three months after their regular season started, Notre Dame (14-12-2, 12-10-2-12-2) finished it in style. The Irish swept the Penn State Nittany Lions (9-11-0, 7-11-0-2-1-0) out of Compton Family Ice Arena with a 5-2 victory on Friday night. They were even better on their senior night Saturday, pulling out a 7-1 offensive explosion to wrap up the regular season.

The Irish got off to a bit of a slow start Friday, surrendering the game’s first three shots.

They also gave up an early goal to senior defenseman Mason Snell, as a point shot through traffic beat senior goaltender Dylan St. Cyr. But the Irish responded just 1:29 later. A good defensive play by junior forward Alex Steeves led to a great chance the other way.

Steeves made a slick move in front of the net before setting

up freshman forward Landon Slaggert backdoor, who tied the game and kept Notre Dame’s top-line red hot.

Penn State’s forecheck gave Notre Dame’s defense a real challenge, especially in the first twenty minutes. The Irish managed just seven shots in the first 20 minutes of play.

However, they came out guns blazing in the second, registering six shots in less than seven minutes. But just as the Irish started to control play, Penn State broke the tie. Snell jumped up on the play during an excellent Penn State cycle, scoring on a pass that caromed in off an Irish skate.

But once again, the Irish responded in short order. Just 93 seconds later, Notre Dame tied the game. Senior forward Pierce Crawford, who took a huge hit early in the contest, made a tremendous pass out of the corner. Senior forward Matt Steeves received it uncovered and ripped a one-timer past Penn State’s goaltender, junior Oskar Autio, for his tenth goal of the season.

With the score tied heading

into the third period, the Irish came out and delivered a strong performance. Notre Dame peppered Autio with 16 shots, and though they gave up 14 of their own, St. Cyr was on fire after the early goal, stopping 36 of Penn State’s final 37 shots.

St. Cyr’s performance gave Notre Dame’s offense time to find their stride, which they did early in the third.

Sophomore forward Max Ellis scored an impressive goal, darting all the way through the neutral zone and into the slot to beat Autio with a wrist shot. A few minutes later, Notre Dame’s third line, which had some tremendous shifts, was finally rewarded for their efforts. Sophomore forward Trevor Janicke was denied on a jam play at the side of the net, only for the rebound to find a wide-open freshman defenseman Zach Plucinski for a tapin to double the lead. Junior defenseman and captain Nick Clurman proved Notre Dame’s defense could find the score see HOCKEY PAGE 14